Day 17-Governor Newsom reinstates the mask mandate in California

I saw a Spotted Towhee at Bird Watching today…

1/1/22. Saturday. 

6:00 – My alarm goes off, but I lie in bed until 6:30 for transition time.

6:30-6:45 – I go downstairs to greet the animal, but she doesn’t want to move so I start making my coffee. Eventually, the dog staggers off the couch, walks over to the kitchen and we go outside together. I drink my coffee while I wait for her to go potty and survey the yard. Return inside and I give her pieces of turkey, then go upstairs.

6:45-7:30 – Shower. Lotion. Hiking uniform, i.e., T-shirt, extra large sweater, cargo pants, jacket, gloves, and ski hat. I bring my Dad’s binos and my laminated bird pamphlet.

7:30-7:50 – I grab my lunch bag and Hydroflax and leave.

-Driving to Placerita Nature Center for 8:00 a.m. bird watching [the first 2 Mondays of the month]

-So, I’m conflicted…I’ve just contracted Omicron…but have I really? If I am infected, then I may be risking other people’s lives by going bird watching.  At the same time, this activity is outside so the risk, if any, is minimal to non-existent. But how do I know if I’m even infected?  Maybe I’m not.  Maybe B. just had a cold…although for the past 7 years we’ve been together, he’s never been sick.

-Continue driving.  The sun glare is so bad, I truly cannot see in front or to the side of me – even if I wanted to pull over, I can’t. Had a car been in front of me, I would have crashed.

7:50-10:30 – I arrive for bird watching.  Rosemary is the docent on duty today and Judy , whom I can’t stand, shows up a bit later. It’s 35 degrees right now, but I don’t mind until the tips of my fingers start hurting, even though I’m wearing gloves. Is it possible to get frostbite? I’m a little concerned. 

Two people join us – Steve Girardi and his cousin Maria, both of whom keep coughing on trail. Do droplets last longer in cold weather? None of us are masked, but I stress again…we’re outside. Is it still safer to be outside with the Omicron variant? 

I learn that Steve is a former Vietnam Vet/Marine and married for over 40 years.  His wife told him that he did not return to “normal” for 8 years after his tour of duty. Steve also adds that his 40-something-year-old son is schizophrenic and lives with he and his wife. Steve says he’s been hiking Placerita Canyon for 40 years and recommends The Canyon Loop. When bird watching is over, he shows me the entrance to the trail and then walks with me to the Ranger Center to get a map, but it’s locked. He walks a bit faster than me and when I jokingly ask if it’s okay to follow behind, that he might think I’m stalking him, he replies, “Oh, we’re friends now.” [insert smile emoji here].

Steve says he can hike The Canyon Loop in about 30 minutes, one way, and it ends in a picnic area where lots of birds gather. He says it’s beautiful and I’ll really enjoy it. I appreciate the recommendation. We part ways. 

We see the following birds today:  several Spotted Towhees; several Bushtits; a Nuthatch; Scrub Jays; and a Raven. 

10:30-11:30 – I stop at the Newhall Farmers Market and walk around to see what they have today.  This is an outdoor arena and I steer clear from all individuals. There is nothing of interest here…I leave. 

11:30-12:30 – Home and I text B. if he still wants to do coffee. Then, I take a short nap. B. says he’s feeling better and down for coffee. 

12:30-1:30 – I touch up my make-up, then drive to Starbucks to get our coffee and en route to B.’s house. 

1:30-3:30 – At B.’s house and we drink our coffee inside, although we social distance.  At this point, it hardly matters as I was exposed to B. for six hours last night. What if B. only has a cold?  Is the cold virus transmitted via surfaces? We talk politics and I leave. 

3:30-4:00 – Driving 

4:00-5:00 – Home and I’m not motivated to do anything…even though there’s so much to do. 

5:00-5:30 – An object in motion tends to stay in motion so I keep moving. I take the dog for a walk and listen to Citations Needed. 

5:30-7:00 – I turn on all the Xmas lights and do the dishes L. left in the sink yesterday while simultaneously eating leftover turkey and mashed potatoes with gravy.  Then, I pull down the wrapping paper from the garage doors and leaf blow the garage. I continue listening to Citations Needed. 

7:30-8:30 – I need a few items from Target but deliberately wait until the evening hours in the event I’m contagious. There are virtually no customers in the store and everyone is masked – I keep my distance from all individuals and double-mask. I buy Pyrex containers, bleach, and prosecco-in-a-can. 

8:30-9:00 – Return home. 

9:00-9:30 – I fill the sink with water and dishwashing soap and place ALL of the Pyrex in the sink. I put away the rest of the groceries. 

9:30-10:30 – Blog post.

L. and T. return 

10:30-11:00 – T. leaves so I take this time to lean against L.’s doorway to her bedroom, while she’s in her bathroom, and ask how her New Years Eve went.  L. say that she and T. spent New Year’s Eve with his roommates, at T.’s house, and that she had a good time. 

11:00-12:00 – I write another blog post. 

12:00-12:45 – I do a 30-minute Insanity Max-Strength workout. 

1:00-4:00 – I wash all the Pyrex and arrange our Thanksgiving leftovers into TV dinners that we can eat at a later date.  Each container receives turkey, mashed potatoes, yams, cranberry sauce, roasted vegetables, and gravy.  Then, I put the TV dinners in the freezer.  I break down my Mom’s banana bread into squares, put them in a bag, and freeze them. I also break down the Mango cake and freeze the slices. Unfortunately, there are tons of containers that need to be washed now. 

I unload the dishwasher from earlier today then spend an hour washing another load of dishes. Take out the trash. I shut everything down and take the dog out. 

L., who is never sick, comes halfway downstairs and tells me she has a fever and a sore throat and will begin quarantining in the house immediately. L. says we’ll communicate via text.   

Oh. My. God. 

L. also tells me to check the ceiling in the kitchen.  I look up and see that the ceiling surrounding the sky light is caving in due to the recent torrential rains we just experienced. The sky light leaked and damaged an extensive section of the kitchen ceiling.  great. 

4:30-5:00 – Nighttime routine. Bed.